Printing press



Nov. 13, 1928. 1,691,299

' A. S. N. OLSON PRINTING PRESS Filed Feb. '7, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR U. 02. 0am

ATTORNEY Nov. 13, 1928. 1,691,299

A. s. N., OLSON PRINTING PRESS Filed Feb. 7, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 13, 1928'.

UNITED "STATES.

ALBERT S. N. OLSONpOF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

PRINTING PRESS.

Application filed February 7, 1925. Serial m. 7,630.

My invention relates to printing presses and in particular to the ink supplying mechanism. Generally stated the object of my invention is to secure a very even distribution of ink upon the ink disk of platen printing presses to secure the important results of good printing and avoid loss of time in printing and spoiling of paper which are unavoidable by the use of the ink supplying l0 mechanisms commonly in use. The appliance to which I refer as in common use comprises a fountain with a ductor roller that carries the ink on its periphery and which delivers the ink to the first form roller when over the ink disk. The ductor roller is of steel and is of the same length as the form roller and when the two rollers touch a line of ink about an eighth of an inch wide is taken off by the form roller the full length thereof. The first form roller when it passes downward over theink disk after receiving the line of ink transfers some of the ink at each revolution to the ink disk. The 2 other form rollers do not get any of the ink freshly supplied to the disk until there is a repetition of the operation which brings the other form rollers in contact with the ink transferred to the disk. The ink disk turns a short distance while the form rollare are passing over and inking the form or printing surface, so that on the ensuing traverse of the form rollers over the ink disk the previously inked surfaces of the disk are at an angle to the form rollers and the re sult is that in effect there is a cross-hatching or criss crossing of the lines of ink on the ink disk that piles up the ink in spots on the disk instead of securing the even distribution of the ink which is essential to good and economical printing. The efiect of'the cross-hatching or criss-crossing is greater towards the central portion of the disk. The result is that there is very uneven distribuprinting surface. The diameter of the form rollers is such with reference with the area of the ink disk that the first form roller only makes two revolutions on the ink disk in passing thereover and the other form rollers make less than two revolutions because the form rollers travel upward to that point tion or application of the ink to theform or I they travel over less surface of the ink disk and this necessitates an excessive amount of ink to be fed from the fountain to print any but ordinary light face type. When printing plates are used it is usually necessary to double roll the printing surfaces and this obviously reduces the output of the press one half since the printing surface must be inked twice for one impression. The result of the uneven distribution of ink that I have just described is that the printed sheet will appear heavily inked in parts and other parts will be more lightly inked, the effect on the printed sheet being analogous to that of a doubly exposed photograph and producing what are known in the art as ghosts on the printed sheets. age ofpaper and loss of time. By my invention the conditions and the resultsof those conditions above set forth are'avoided.

My invention consists in whatever is described by or is included within the terms or scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig- 1 is a side elevation of a printing press embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear view of the ink fountain;

Fig. 3 is a side view thereof;

Fig. 4 is a detail view in perspectiveof means for rotating the ink delivery roller;

Fig. 5 is a top plan view somewhat diagrammatic illustrating the action of my mechanism. I

' Referring in detail to what isshown in the drawings the printing press, l0,-shown The result is spoilin Fig. 1 is'a platen press of well known construction having the usual rotatable ink disk, 11. and a pair of form rollers, 12, whlch usual oscillate between and over the ink disk and the printing form. a I 7 At the rear and higher edge of the ink disk and above the same I support an mk fountain, 13, at the bottom of which is a ductor' roller, 14, which revolves in contact with. the ink in the fountain to take ink therefrom and between which ductor roller and the upper ink receiving surface of the disk, 11, is a composition roller, 15, which takes ink from the ductor roller and by its contact with the disk delivers it to the latter, these two rollers having their axes of revolution radial to the disk and the length of the composition roller being such that it will apply a strip of ink around the outer rim of the disk and not over the entire area of the disk. lhe diameter of the composition roller is preferably but not necessarily such that in one revolution it will apply ink to one fourth of the circumference of the disk and its friction with the disk due to its own sticky nature as well as the stickiness of the ink serves to rotate the'diskin place of the ratchet mechanism usually provided for that purpose. a

The fountain and the two rollers are supported from the frame of the printing press by an armor bracket, 16. Fixed to the shaft, 17

. or the ductor roller is a pinion, 18, which meshes with a gearwheel, 19, mounted loose upon the shaft, 20,

of the composition *roller and projecting from the outer side of the gear, 19, are equidistant pins, 21, which are'engageable by two paw'ls, 22, upon opposite sides of a vertically reciprocable block or. carrier, 23,

whichby a link, 24,' pivoted thereto is connected with some moving part of the press to reciprocate the carrier, in proper time to the movements of the form rollers. The

pawls, 22," are oppositely arranged so that they act alternately on the pins,.21, so that upon the up-stroke of the carrier, 23, there will be a partial revolution of the gear wheel, 19, by the engagement of a pin, 21, by one pawl and on the down-stroke of the carrier there will be a similar partial revolution by the engagement of a pin, 21, by the other pawl. Thus the ductor roller is directly driven and from its friction contact with the composition roller, 15, the latter is revolved.

By reference to Fig. 5 the ink feeding and distributing action of my mechanism will be readily understood. It will be seen that the ink is directly delivered from the fountain rollers to the ink disk instead of indirectly as in the mechanism which requires that the first form roller shall take the ink from the ductor roller and then deliver it to the ink disk. By the'turning of the disc, 11, with the roller, 15, in contact therewith, at each inking operation a band, of ink of circular form is applied by the ink roller, 15, to the discover a substantial area radially and circumferentially, the quantityias shown 111 Fig. 5 circumferentially being through ninety degrees, so that a quadrant-shaped stripor band is produccdon the disk. The

, form rollers goingupward from the form will work the freshly supplied ink upward toward the centerof the disc as indicated bythe curved dotted lines in Figfili the result being amany times better and more uniform or even distribution of ink to the form rollers for each application of ink to the printing surface or form. The shaded arcs between the dotted lines are bands of plied to the outer rim .of the disc by the roller, 15, in a different angular position on the disc, due to the rotation of the latter, and these bands formed by the form rollers overlap and blend. The form rollers are not the means for supplying ink to the ink disk but their function is essentially to take the ink from the ink disk to transfer it to the printing surface or form with the result that uneven application of ink to the printing surface is avoided so that a fine quality of printing results and but two form-rollers are required instead of three thus diminishing the expense of original cost and maintenance involved in replacement of'form rollers.

To regulate the quantity ofink taken by the ductor roller, the fountain has a gauge plate, 25, which has a knife edge adjacent the ductor roller and which is adjustable to and from the periphery'of the roller by adjusting screws, 26.

I claim:

1. In a printing press the combination of an ink disk, mounted to rotate in a fixed position, form inking means moving to and from the disk and means for supplying ink to the disk directly independently of the form inking means over an area substantially less than the disc area, comprising a roller having contact with the disk, and a ductor roller having driving contact with said first'mentioned roller, both of said rollers being mounted to rotate in fixed positions, whereby both are in constant contact, and the roller in contact with the disk is in constant contact therewith.

2. In a printing press the 1 combination'of an ink disc, havinga plane ink receiving surface and mounted to, rotate in a fixed position, form-inking means moving to and and from the disc, and means for supplying ink to the disc directly independently of the form inking means over an area substantially less than the dlsc area, comprising a roller that contacts with the plane surface of the disc,and means to deliver ink from a source to said roller, comprising a ductor roller mounted to rotate in a fixed position,

and means positively rotating said ductor roller.

3. In a printing press the combination of an ink disc, having a plane ink receiving surface and mounted to rotate in a fixed position, form inking means moving to, and from the disc, and means for supplying'ink to the disc directly independently of the form inkingme ans over an area substantially less than the disc area, comprising a roller that contacts with the plane surface of the disc, and means to deliver ink from a source to said roller, comprising a ductor roller mounted to rotate in a fixed position, and means positively rotating said ductor roller, said ink source being a fountain through the bottom of which the ductor roller revolves, and the ductor roller having driving contact with the disc engaging roller.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

ALBERT S. N. OLSON. 

